Vatican Signs Agreement With China On Appointment Of Bishops

The Vatican says it has signed a historic joint agreement with China on the appointment of Roman Catholic Bishops, though critics said that the accord is a sell-out to the communist government.

Pope Francis

The provisional agreement, which was signed in Beijing by Deputy Foreign Ministers from both sides, was announced as Pope Francis visited Lithuania at the start of a four-day trip to the Baltic countries.

The Vatican said the accord was “not political but pastoral.”

A Holy See statement did not mention Taiwan, which the Vatican recognizes diplomatically and which China sees as a renegade province.

The accord gives the Vatican a say in the naming of bishops and grants the Pope veto power over candidates.

China’s roughly 12 million Catholics are split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican, and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association.

The possibility of such a deal had divided communities of Catholics across China, some of whom fear greater suppression should the Vatican cede more control to Beijing. Others want to see rapprochement and avoid a potential schism.